Davey, P., 2009: A local and mainly coastal species in England, the larva feeding on beet (Beta vulgaris). In Dorset, this moth is a denizen of mire and saltern habitat rather than of coast. Relatively strong colonies occupy muddy shores and saltmarsh edges in Poole Harbour and Christchurch Harbour and in mire habitat across the Poole Basin. No colonies have yet been detected west of the Poole Basin which is rather surprising given beet's strictly maritime distribution and the plant's relative abundance along Dorset's coastal belt. However, larvae have been noted on a range of plant species on the Continent. The moth is attracted to light, but an easier way to locate the species, providing that access to mire colonies is possible, is to observe them at sunset as they rest close to the vegetation canopy, often at the top of purple moor-grass stems, before they take to the wing. The national norm is a single brood in late June and July; however, a partial second generation from mid-August to late September is suggested by the limited data available; multiple broods occur in southern Europe. The following light trap records are suspected wanderers from colonies in the Poole basin: Church Ope Cove, on 25 June 1988 (JEC), Puddletown, on 16 July 2003 (H Wood Homer), Scar Bank, two on 14 July 1934 (A Russell). Many of the existing localities hosting the species are on SSSIs, so threats to the species in Dorset are considered minimal providing conservation agencies keep water tables high enough to maintain the host mire habitat at the respective sites.

Recorded in 9 (23%) of 40 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1887.
Last Recorded in 2019.
(Data up to end 2019)